Distress Response & Restructuring

In moments that define a company’s future, management teams carry the weight of the complex decisions that are required to stabilize leadership, reshape strategy, and build resilience across the enterprise. Companies facing distress around financial performance and liquidity, often in the face of high leverage, operational breakdowns, or looming restructuring, are not alone. As volatility fluctuates and spikes, influenced by changes in government policies, market sentiment, geopolitical tension, sector-specific instability, etc., many companies, be they public, private, or private equity sponsored, are navigating high-stakes financial and strategic challenges.

Heidrick & Struggles' Distress Response & Restructuring advisors help companies, their shareholders, and stakeholders secure the right leadership: seasoned, forward-looking CEOs, CFOs, and board members who’ve been through these scenarios many times before to guide them through. Whether working to avoid restructuring, in the midst of one, or emerging on the other side to build a more competitive, high-performing organization, our experts deliver proven board and C-suite talent with deep experience leading turnaround and transformation across sectors, whether on a permanent or interim/contract basis.

Heidrick & Struggles has the critical capabilities, insights, and a global network to help businesses and their investors, creditors, and incumbent management teams across sectors through times of distress and restructuring, to build agile, cross-functional teams that move fast, align with stakeholders, and drive value under pressure. We understand the urgency of these high-stakes situations—high pressure, tight timelines, constant scrutiny. We work strategically with businesses and their stakeholders and third-party advisors to secure critical leadership talent and maneuver to the highest-value outcomes.